Metabolic Rate Lab

Metabolic Rate Lab

This lab is about metabolic rates and what affects it and why. I will be checking my pulse, respirations, and blood pressure while doing three activities after establishing a baseline. The three activities will be at rest (just after waking up), walking (around the neighborhood), and cycling (up and down our hill).

With more work being done by the body the circulatory system will have to supply nutrients and oxygen to do the work (or play). The heart rate (pulse) will need to increase to supply more blood to muscles. Respirations will as increase as the workload increases also to meet the demand for oxygen. Blood pressure should stay somewhat level as the pressure should not go up at the same rate or anyone who exercises would stroke out or have a heart attack. Now on conduct the experiment and log the results.

Materials for taking my BP and a calculator for computing the mean values.

Getting my baseline blood pressure.

I think I can............

METABOLIC RATE DATA TABLE

	Repetition 1	Rep 2	Rep 3	Rep 4	Rep 5	Mean
Baseline
Pulse	64	65	63	64	65	64
Resp	16	15	14	15	16	15
Systolic	148	148	146	146	148	147
Diastolic	80	80	78	78	80	79
Activity 1	Waking up
Pulse	56	54	56			55
Resp	12	10	12			11
Systolic	142	140	142			141
Diastolic	76	74	76			75
Activity 2	Walking
Pulse	80	84	84			83
Resp	16	18	16			17
Systolic	146	148	146			147
Diastolic	80	80	82			81
Activity 3	Cycling
Pulse	146	160	154			153
Resp	36	38	36			37
Systolic	152	154	150			152
Diastolic	76	82	78			77

Based on the data gathered and logged in the table above, my original hypothesis is correct. As the workload for the body increased so to did my pulse and respirations, and the blood pressure stayed relatively flat overall. I do not feel there are any inaccuracies in the data above and that my hypothesis stands.

In conclusion the bodies circulatory system is very efficient in meeting the demand for more oxygen and nutrients to do the work or play that the body needs to do.

This experiment has actually confirmed what I had already had known from cycling many, many miles. But it was fun doing and comparing different activities to prove beyond a doubt about just how our body and specifically the circulatory system reacts to a workload placed on it. I believe I have met the criteria for a B-B+ based on the requirements below:

• Write-up includes all the sections in the presentation format
• Data are complete and means are correctly calculated
• Graphs show comparison for all metabolic measurements
• Analysis related what is shown in graphs back to hypothesis
• Correct units for all measurements are always indicated
• Introduction, Analysis and Conclusion show that student can put the data analysis back into the context of the circulatory system and the body’s cells need for oxygen.

Nutrition lab

-How healthy a daily diet do you think this is? Its just ok. Why? It definitely could be better balanced, as in more vegetables.

-What would you change about this day's eating, if anything? More vegetables!

-Do you find this kind of nutritional tracking helpful? Yes, I never really thought to track everything I ate, it would even more interesting to track a week or even a month.

Why or why not? It would truly give me an opportunity to really get a handle on what I eat and use it for training.

Blood Pressure Lab

Unit II

Eating Ourselves to Death

Food is a fascinating subject, and certainly very relevant to my lifestyle and employment. Organic food became part of my life when I met my wife close to 8 years ago. Her older sister has been a part of the organic food movement for nearly 35 years, running an organic produce distribution company in San Francisco. The beginnings of that movement make for a fascinating story. Suffice it to say, we are very much convinced that organic and whole foods are the best way to eat. That’s not to say we don’t consume our share of garbage. But it’s mostly organic garbage, for whatever that’s worth. We were proud to boast that our now 2 ½ year-old daughter hadn’t had any ‘power sugar’ – what my wife calls anything that is sweetened by processed sugar versus the sweet of fruit – until very recently. She still rejects certain overly sweet or artificially sweet candy versus a piece of chocolate or even better, strawberries, grapes, or melon. Unfortunately my wife and I are both significantly attached to our various sources of processed sugar and eat them in large amounts at times, as evidenced by our waist and hip sizes. That addiction is perhaps one of the largest driving factors in keeping our baby away from that form of indulgence for as long as we possibly can.

The current (commercial or non-organic) food culture in this country is shocking and clearly unhealthful. Unfortunately, even the organic food industry is becoming more and more mainstream. The grocery isles of the large organic markets have their fair share of processed foods. Just because the unidentifiable ingredients are perhaps less numerous or objectionable from a chemical-input perspective, they are nonetheless processed and very far away from the whole food they propose to substitute in our diets. I enjoyed Michael Pollan’s article in the Times and felt like he hit the culture we live in right on the head. I am frequently appalled at our health system and our over-dependence on pharmaceuticals and surgical procedures to mask what ails us. I firmly subscribe to Pollan’s perspective that the food and medical industries are partners in allowing us to continue our unhealthy relationship with food and eating.

Culturally, one of our favorite pastimes is sharing a meal and good wine with friends. We find it very enjoyable and conducive to good conversation and relaxation. Unfortunately, the harried lifestyle that most of us participate in finds too few opportunities to enjoy that simple pleasure. We went to France for our honeymoon and we both agree that those were two of the best weeks of our lives. Not only was the art, history and architecture outstanding, but the food and wine, not to mention the 3 hour evening meal we enjoyed every night, were simply unparalleled in our experiences up to that point. The French have it right as far as we’re concerned. It is no wonder their overall health is better than ours.

One of the questions you posed in your request for this essay was whether we might have a defense for big agriculture or fast packaged food. I find that there is really no defense. Interestingly enough, in the first essay, that I haven’t written and am still chewing on, I have been reading about genetically modified food. I find myself being swayed by both sides of the debate as I read them, particularly when a scientist speaks up on the subject. However, reading Pollan’s article brought me full circle back to my initial perspective on the subject, which is that our food supply needs to be more diverse, not less, and that mono-cropping and big agribusiness won’t ultimately provide the real solutions to world hunger or environmental degradation. Whether or not there is existing scientific proof that GMO’s are safe for human consumption today, I just don’t believe we have enough scientific understanding of the incredibly complex nature of plants and animals to justify modifying them to this extent and not expecting long-term repercussions that we can’t begin to predict.

I don’t know the answers to some of the questions you posed about creating more culturally and spiritually healthful eating for society at large. I think the solution to that issue, and the corresponding improved health and reduction of lifestyle diseases, would require a very long, hard look at our overall cultural mores and lifestyle choices in this country, and increasingly in other western nations. I believe that everything is interconnected and that you can’t solve one issue without addressing another. If our consumer culture weren’t driving us to earn more, consume more, get more, would we be as stressed out and busy? Would we find more time to cook real food and spend less time eating convenience foods behind the wheels of our cars or at our desks at work as we rush from one thing to the next? If we had more spiritual foundations for what we do and how it effects our planet and every living being on it, would we make different choices about consuming products from half way around the world? When I start to think about these things I can get overwhelmed with the enormity of what needs to change to get us going in another direction. Then I pick up my ice cream sandwich and my book about dragons and sorcerers and escape.

Unit IV

Ethical Paper Unit IV

Whose Problem is It?

What is the problem we’re trying to solve exactly? The claim had been made that resources are scarce. Many believe there are too many people on the planet and that population growth isn’t sustainable. The ‘West’ in particular would like to lay the responsibility at the feet of third world and developing nations that have too many babies (no wonder they’re starving/poor/destitute). Ironically, those nations use a fraction of the resources the western world consumes and our neutral or negative population growths have only coincided with great resource usage. What is the answer then, to the ‘problem’?

There is no denying that population growth and reproduction shouldn’t continue thoughtlessly. However, expecting or forcing non-western nations to put controls in place smacks of racism, elitism, and totalitarianism. Imagine our government trying to legislate how many babies we could have in this country! What an uproar that would cause. How dare we then expect other countries to do just that. There seems to be some amount of admiration of China’s accomplishment over the last few decades of bringing down fertility rates. And yet China is regularly criticized for not giving their people more freedom of expression and self-determination. We can’t have it both ways. I, for one, am not convinced that population control is the answer.

Resource use in the western world seems to be a much larger problem and one that is barely being addressed. If one of our children uses 30 times more resources than an Indian child and 300 times more than an Ethiopian child, what are we really talking about (or not talking about, as it were)? Clearly, we need to focus on treading more gently on the earth and reducing our non-renewable resource consumption. That’s not to say that we shouldn’t also pay attention to population growth, but that is somewhat of a red herring.

The correlation between a developing nation’s increasing resource use and decreasing reproduction rate is interesting. Other than an interesting factoid though, I’m not sure what conclusion can or should be drawn. To suggest that we not allow other nations to develop to reduce the imminent increase in consumption of resources would be disingenuous, as would saying that we shouldn’t worry about fertility rates at all. It’s all of a piece and can’t be separated.

To me it all comes down to education and justice. As more and more women in particular, but all peoples in general, become educated and self-sufficient, they can make their own decisions about how to be good stewards of the earth. Until people can get out of survival mode, there is no way we can expect them to make objective decisions about their actions and the subsequent reactions they cause. Even a large percentage of the ‘educated’ people in the western world don’t make wise decisions about their impact on the earth. But it’s complacency, not lack of opportunity or knowledge. Our society needs to put more emphasis on conserving and conscious choices when we choose to consume. And the sooner we help educate and elevate developing economies, the sooner they can contribute to the solutions we’ll need to keep life on plant earth sustainable for all of us.

If resources are indeed scarce on this planet, then the blame should be laid squarely at the feet of the western world. Clearly our rate of consumption can’t be sustained and we need to do something about it. There may be scarce non-renewable resources, but I believe there are solutions out there to most of the problems we are facing or will face at some time in the near future. It’s our indifference, not the developing world’s fertility rates, that needs to be fixed. Perhaps, if there were no developing world and we were all consuming resources at the rate of a 30,000 kg primate, we’d see the issue more clearly. We wouldn’t have anyone but ourselves to blame for the path that we’re on.

Demographics

1. What was your high fertility rate country and what was its fertility rate?

India with 3.75 children.

2. What was your low fertility rate country and what was its fertility rate?

Sweden with 1.9 children.

3. The initial demographic "shape" of your high fertility rate country should have

been a pyramid, with high population in young age groups. Explain why high fertility rate results in a high percentage of young people in the population. How does this affect future population growth?

The reason for a pyramid shape in high growth rate countries is because there are many more births as compared with the death rate. As the younger population becomes of child bearing age the rate grows even faster. After WW II there was a ‘baby boom’ and when those boomers became of age there was another surge in the population growth here in the US. 4. Your low fertility rate country might have had a more oval-shaped curve with high population in middle age groups. This is especially exaggerated if the fertility rate is below 2.00. Explain why low fertility rate leads to lots of middle-aged people. As the population rate slows the people of child bearing age do not have enough children to replace the parents of those who are having children. It takes two to have a child but if they do not have two children the will eventually be a negative population growth. 5. Write ten adjectives or descriptive phrases for what you might expect life, people's attitudes, conditions on the streets, etc. will be like in each of those situations. Imagine a situation with lots of middle-aged and older people in the population and write ten quick "brain-storm" descriptors for you think it would be like (Prescott, Arizona?). Then do the same for a situation with lots of children in the population.

For an older population; Remember the good ‘ol days, quiet neighborhoods, lower crime, watching the grass grow, the sidewalks roll up at 8, stores open later, two hour lunches, early bird specials, remember when, checking the obits.

For a younger crowd; needed it yesterday, party houses, fast cars, LOUD cars/trucks, lower the drinking age, fast food, up all hours, sleep most of the day, wired, hooking up.

Biodiversity Index

1. Pyrus serotina. Asian pear. Newly planted tree in our back yard. Symbiotic: mutually

beneficial, both species benefit. Since this is a fruit bearing tree as well as ornamental, I believe this tree will continue in a symbiotic relationship with humans.

2. Pyrus calleryana 'Holmford' Flowering Pear New Bradford Pear. Newly planted tree in our

back yard. Symbiotic: mutually beneficial, both species benefit. Since this is an ornamental tree, I believe this tree will continue in a symbiotic relationship with humans.

3. Prunus cerasifera 'Krauter Vesuvius' Flowering Plum, Purple-Leaf Plum. Newly planted tree

in our back yard. Symbiotic: mutually beneficial, both species benefit. Since this is an ornamental tree, I believe this tree will continue in a symbiotic relationship with humans.

4. Glycine max. Soy milk. Food. Mutualism: both species benefit, like symbiosis, but it may

appear one species has the advantage, but evolutionarily, over the long-term, both benefit. As with most food sources, I believe we will continue to keep a close relationship of ‘domestication’.

5. Oryza sativa var. indica Basmati rice. Food. Mutualism: both species benefit, like symbiosis,

but it may appear one species has the advantage, but evolutionarily, over the long-term, both benefit. As with most food sources, I believe we will continue to keep a close relationship of ‘domestication’.

6. Zea mays. Polenta. Food. Mutualism: both species benefit, like symbiosis, but it may

appear one species has the advantage, but evolutionarily, over the long-term, both benefit. As with most food sources, I believe we will continue to keep a close relationship of ‘domestication’.

7. Honey. (Could not find scientific name). Food. Mutualism: both species benefit, like

symbiosis, but it may appear one species has the advantage, but evolutionarily, over the long-term, both benefit. As with most food sources, I believe we will continue to keep a close relationship of ‘domestication’. Especially since the bees that produce the honey are probably the single most important insect for agriculture.

8. Chamaecyparis thyoides. White cedar. Playground set for Emma. Predation: Usually

considered parasitic, where the predator is the parasite, but can also be seen as mutualistic. If we continue to harvest new growth forests, replant, and limit old growth harvesting then, I believe the relationship will be more mutualistic.

9. Sceloporus tristichus. Plateau lizard. New resident since retaining walls went in. Symbiotic:

mutually beneficial, both species benefit. By our continued building there will be plenty of addition ‘habitats for the lizards to live.

10. Canis familiaris. “Jack “our dog. Our 14 yr old companion. Symbiotic: mutually beneficial,

both species benefit. Protection and companionship to humans oldest domesticated animal will not change for the future.

11. Homo sapien Emma Antonea Jarnagin My almost 3 year old daughter. Symbiotic: mutually

beneficial, both species benefit. Emma is my (our) legacy.

12. Homo sapien Antonea Vanessa Jarnagin My wife of 6 years. Symbiotic: mutually beneficial,

both species benefit. My companion.

13. Poa pratensis. Kentucky blue grass. Our new backyard lawn. Symbiotic: mutually

beneficial, both species benefit.

14. Dermatophagoides farinae. American dust mites. Every ones bed fellows. Commensal:

One species benefits, the other is unharmed. I belive the relationship will remain unchanged unless more humans become allergic. Then I believe will take steps to eliminate ‘the pest’.

15. Camellia sinensis and Citrus aurantium. Earl Grey tea has bergamot orange rind and oil in it.

This is my drink of choice. Mutualism: both species benefit, like symbiosis, but it may

appear one species has the advantage, but evolutionarily, over the long-term, both

benefit. As with most food sources, I believe we will continue to keep a close relationship of ‘domestication’.

16. G. gallus. Chicken. Food. Mutualism: both species benefit, like symbiosis, but it may

appear one species has the advantage, but evolutionarily, over the long-term, both

benefit. As with most food sources, I believe we will continue to keep a close relationship of ‘domestication’.

17. Meleagris gallopavo. Turkey. Food. Mutualism: both species benefit, like symbiosis, but

it may appear one species has the advantage, but evolutionarily, over the long-term, both

benefit. As with most food sources, I believe we will continue to keep a close relationship of ‘domestication’.

18. Sus. Pork. Food. Mutualism: both species benefit, like symbiosis, but it may appear one

species has the advantage, but evolutionarily, over the long-term, both benefit. As with most food sources, I believe we will continue to keep a close relationship of ‘domestication’.

19. Cucumis melo reticulates. Cantaloupe. Food. Mutualism: both species benefit, like

symbiosis, but it may appear one species has the advantage, but evolutionarily, over the long-term, both benefit. As with most food sources, I believe we will continue to keep a close relationship of ‘domestication’.

20. Pinus brachyptera. Ponderosa Pine tree. Tree in our front yard that the bark beetles missed.

Symbiotic: mutually beneficial, both species benefit. This tree has been here for a long time and we can make sure it continues to get water even though we are in a drought. We will provide water and it will provide beauty and shade.

Chapter 16

Human Life Cycle

· Mitosis

· Meiosis

Male Reproductive System

• Testes
• Epididymides
• Vasa Deferentia
• Seminal Vesicles
• Prostate Gland
• Urethra
• Bulbourethral Glands
• Penis

Ø Hormonal Regulation in Males

• Hypothalamus Gonadotropin-releasing Hormone (GnRH)
• Pituitary Gland

• (GnRH)
• Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)
• Luteinizing Hormone (LH)

• Testosterone

Female Reproductive System

• Ovaries
• Oviducts
• Uterus
• Cervix
• Vagina

Female Hormone Levels

· Ovarian Cycle: non-pregnant

o Follicular Phase

o Ovulation

o Luteal Phase

· Uterine Cycle: non-pregnant

o Menstruation

o Proliferative Phase

o Secretory Phase

· Fertilization & Pregnancy

o Corpus Luteum

o Progesterone

o Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG)

o Estrogen

Control of Reproduction

· Birth Control Methods

o Birth Control Pill

o Diaphragm

o Condom (male/female)

o Intrauterine Device

o Implant

o Hormone Patch

o Abstinence

o Vasectomy / Tubal Ligation

· Assisted Reproductive Technologies

o Artificial Insemination by Donor (AID)

o In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)

o Gamete Intrafallopian Transfer (GIFT)

o Surrogate mothers

o Intracytd Plasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI)

Sexually Transmitted Diseases

· STDs by viruses

o AIDS/HIV

o Genital Warts

o Genital Herpes

o Hepatitis

· STDs by Bacteria

o Chlamydia

o Gonorrhea

o Syphilis

· Two other infections

o Bacterial Vaginosis

o Trichomoniasis

Chapter 17

Fertilization

· Zygote (Sperm & Egg)

· Pre-Embryonic & Embryonic Development

o Cleavage

o Growth

o Morphogenesis

o Differentiation

· Extra-Embryonic Membranes

o Chorion

o Allantois

o Yolk Sac

o Amnion

Fetal Development

· Gender can be distinguished

· Skeleton ossifies

· Heartbeat heard

· Mature placenta

· Growth & weight gain

Pregnancy & Birth

· Pregnancy

o Energy level fluctuates

o Uterus relaxes

o Pulmonary values increase

o Other effects

· Birth

o Braxton-hicks contractions

o Parturition

o Stage 1 – Effacement & Dilation

o Stage 2 – Birth

o Stage 3 – Placenta delivered

Development after Birth

· Infancy

· Childhood

· Adolescence

· Adulthood

Hypothesis of Aging

· Genetic

· Declination

· Extrinsic factors

Effect of Age

· Skin

· Processing & transportation

· Integration & coordination

Reproductive system/ hormones

Chapter 22

Origin of Life

- Chemical Evolution?

· Small Organic Molecules

· Macromolecules

o RNA-first hypothesis

o Protein-first hypothesis

· Protocell - heterotroph

· The True Cell

Biological Evolution

· Common descent

· Adaptation

Common Descent – Darwin

· Fossil evidence

· Biogeographical evidence

· Anatomical evidence

· Biochemical evidence

Natural Selection

Classification of Humans

· DNA Data & Human Evolution

o Humans are Primates

§ Mobile forelimbs & hindlimbs

§ Binocular vision

§ Large, complex brain

§ Reduced reproductive rate

Evolution of Hominids

· First hominids

o Bipedal posture

o Face shape

o Brain size

· Evolution of Australopithecines

o Gracile

o Robust

o Mosaic evolution

Evolution of Humans

· Homo

o Brain size > or = to 600cm

o Jaw and teeth resemble humans’

o Used tools

· Homo habilus

· Homo erectus

o Larger brain

o First to use fire and tools

o First in Africa - migrated to Asia & Europe

Chapter 23

The Nature of Ecosystems

-Biosphere = one giant Ecosystem

• Ecosystems
• Terrestrial
• Forest, grasslands, deserts
• Aquatic
• Fresh water, salt water

Biotic Components of an Ecosystem

• Autotrophs – producers

• Heterotrophs – consumers

• Herbivores
• Carnivores
• Omnivores
• Detritus feeders

Energy Flow and Chemical Cycling

· Energy flows through and out

· Chemicals cycle around

Energy Flow

· Food webs

o Grazing food web

o Detrital food web

· Trophic Levels

o Food chains

· Ecological Pyramids

Global Biogeochemical Cycles

· Gaseous

· Sedimentary

· Reservoirs

· Exchange Pools

· Biotic communities

The Water Cycle

· Evaporation

· Precipitation

· Transpiration

· Standing waters

· Runoff

· Aquifers

The Carbon Cycle

· Photosynthesis

· Respiration

· Diffusion

· Equilibrium

· Reservoirs

· Fossil fuels

· Excess carbon dioxide

The Nitrogen Cycle

· Nitrogen fixation

· Nitrification

· Conversion

· Assimilation

· Denitrification

· Human disruption

The Phosphorus Cycle

· Geological upheaval

· Weathering

· Biotic processes

· Runoff